Deweyville's Willis off to great start

Published 1:00 am, Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Deweyville's Kennidee Willis knew she wasn't supposed to check her phone at school, but last April she got a text she couldn't ignore.

It was a message from her mother instructing her to check her email immediately.

And she did.

Much to her surprise, Willis, a junior outside hitter, found an invitation only 12 high school volleyball players across the state received that day, inviting her to compete on the Lone Star Volleyball High Performance Team at a five-day tournament in Des Moines, Iowa during the summer.

"It was just such an amazing feeling when I got the email," said Willis, who along with 11 other players from the Austin, Houston and College Station areas was chosen over more than 250 players. "It gave me a chance to play with more experienced people and I gained a lot of insight from the coaches. It was really fun too. I like to travel out of state."

Under the direction of Concordia coach Nicole McCoy, Willis and her team finished in the top half of the five-day event, where they played teams from around the country and even some from abroad.

The experience not only exposed her to some of the best high school talent on the globe, it also propelled her to one of the best starts of any volleyball player in the state.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Siegert said. "I think she is one of the best players around this area and maybe even the state."

In 16 games, the 5-10 Willis has been an offensive nightmare for opposing teams, converting a mind-boggling 276 kills, while leading her team to a 14-2 overall record and a No. 6 ranking in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Poll.

"She (Willis) is such a pleasure to have on my team," Lady Pirates coach Lawayne Siegert said. "She's the one that I can bring in when I'm showing the other kids how to do something, and she'll show them how it's done. Being a third-year starter, she brings experience to this team that makes us a tough team to beat."